Hospital Patient Safety Improvements Shouldn’t Be Placed on the Back Burner

Having a loved one admitted to the hospital can very often be an emotional or traumatic experience due to the sudden nature of the admittance or the degree of the health condition. While hospitals throughout Pennsylvania and the United States have made significant improvements in reducing the rate of hospital acquired infections and other patient adverse events, there is still much that needs to be done to ensure patient safety and wellbeing.

According to a recent American Medical News article, one in three patients is harmed during a stay at the hospital in incidents that mostly could have been prevented. However, the article points out that from 2001 to 2009, data shows that central line-associated bloodstream infections have decreased by 60 percent in intensive care units.

The President of The Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies over 18,000 healthcare organizations and programs across the United States, stated in the article that the progress in patient care has not been extensive enough throughout the various services that are provided in healthcare. He also noted that these improvements are not consistent within healthcare at physician practices, hospitals or facilities.

Ever since the Institute of Medicine released a report called, “To Err is Human,” that included an estimate that as many as 98,000 patients are killed each year because of preventable medical errors, the potential safety issues at hospitals in the United States has drawn substantial concern (learn about Xarelto
case).

Medical malpractice and hospital negligence can stem from understaffing, lack of finances, the failure to diagnose, oversight, fatigue, defective products that go unchecked or lack maintenance, and other forms of reckless behavior or inaction. A Harrisburg medical malpractice lawyer can assist individuals who have suffered injury or illness due to a medical professional’s negligence or hospital negligence. Medical malpractice lawsuits in Pennsylvania are not about getting even. These lawsuits help families obtain the compensation they need to properly recover without suffering financially. Medical malpractice suits also help prevent medical professionals from making the same mistakes multiple times and placing the lives of more patients at risk.